Imitation marble and method of making same



March 4, 1924; 1,4853) H. L... PARKER, JR., ET AL IMITATION MARBLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 31. 1923 mwwm Fatented Mar. 4, ldzd.

our: sir-rs 33., AND WILL]: W. NIVIN, OF ST. LOUIS,

than

ice.

Application filed may 31, 1923. fierial No. 342,715.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT L. PARKER, J12, and WILLIAM W. Nrvm, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful ll'm rovement in Tmitation'Marble and Metho s of Making Same, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Our invention relates to the production of an imitation marble which possesses the feel and appearance of genuine marble and may be polished, drilled, sawed and otherwise handled as genuine marble but is less expensive in first cost and in handling than the genuine article.

In the production of our invention certain steps will be varied accordin to the nature of the work to result and of t e design to be roduced. While the product may be manuactured in slabs and set up where dseired, a lar 'e field of usefulness of our invention is in t e production of wall surfaces in situ in which case the body or base of the imitation marble will be applied to the rough wall surilace usually produced by scratch and brown coats of plastering. Up to this point the wall is of ordinary construction. To produce our marble finish, a layer of liieene s cement is then applied and troweled to a fairly smooth surface. A color mixture of Keenes cement and pure metallic colors is then applied so as to approximate any design desired and is allowed to come to a artial. set. Then a similar mixture of the asic or ground color is applied so as to fill the spaces between the design colors already applied and to completely cover the latter. This ground color coat 1s allowed to partially set and the entire surface is then troweled down until the design is worked through to the extent desired. This troweling operation may beperformed without much disturbance of the design as originaly applied or the original design may be distorted and worked around until a satisfactor result is reached. After the design is per ected, the cement is allowed to stand for twelve to sixteen hours and is then given a final troweling with brush and water to remove surface unevenness and after a further drying of twelve to twenty-four hours a finishing composition is applied.

This composition consists of a saturated solution of oxalic acid in water to each gallon of which four ounces of glycerin and till.

one-half of one percent by volume of silica crystals ground to three hundred mesh or finer is added. These crystals are preferably quartz crystals.

The open pores of the cement wall quickly absorb part of this solution includin the quartz crystals, after which the surp us is rubbed off with a soft cloth and the surface polished. The crystallization of the oxalic acid in solution which has entered the pores as well as the presence or the silica crystals which have been applied to the cement produces a lustrous semi-transparent crystalline surface which is susceptible of a high polish. The glycerin seems to difiuse the crystallization of the oxalic acid crystals and prevents them'from forming in large masses on the exterior of the cement surface. The solution applied hardens so as to retain the polished finish produced. Another result of this finish is that it seals the pores of the wall making it water-proof.

In the accompanying drawings which il lustrate the production of difierent designs by our method,-

Figure 1 illustrates an initial step.

Figure .2 is a cross section tl ough the slabs shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a similar section through the slab after a successive step has been perproduction of a design which is mottled rather than streaked. Figure 7 corresponds to l in the prpduction of the mottled design.

illustrated in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a similar cross section after :the addition of therceveringcoati re 8 is a cross section of the slab llllf) Figure 10 is an elevation of the design produced by the steps illustrated in Fig-v ures 6 to 9.

To follow the formation of the simplest design, reference may be had to Figure 1 in which 1 represents the base of Keenes cement which we will assume to be white and on which are laid streaks 2 of a colored cement as indicated in this figure and in Figure 2. After a few minutes in which these streaks have partially set, a filler coat 3 of cement of white or any color differing from streaks 2 is applied filling up the spaces between the colored streaks and overlying the tops of the same. This is permitted to set partially and the surface is then troweled down until the colored streaks 2 begin to appear through the surface to the extent desired. Obviously, if the trowcling terminates as soon as any of the color appears, delicate streaks, as indicated at the lefthand side of Figure 4, will be produced, while if the troweling is continued to a greater degree, the color will appear in heavy bands as indicated at the righthand side of Figure 4:.

In Figure 5 we show the same result produced by applying a layer 4 of Keenes cement to a board 5 formed of pulp or fiber such as paper or sugar cane board. To

this cement base d may be added streaks 6 of colored cement which may be covered by another coat of white or other base colored cement which will be troweled down as previously described. This product may be handled in slabs which are much lighter in weight than corresponding marble slabs and much lower in cost.

In Figures 6 to 11 the production of a different design is illustrated. Figure 6 represents the intermingling of two differently colored cements in a suitable container, this intermingling being accomplished by a spoon-like tool while the cement is in a semi-fluid condition. Gobs of the intermingled cements are then disposed upon the base as indicated in Figure 7 almost, but not entirely, coverin the base. These gobs of the intermingline colored cements after partial setting are filled in and covered to a slight depth with the base or ground color cement which after a partial setting is troweled down to bring out the design similar to that shown in Fi are 10.

t will be understood that to this completed design the hardenin and polishin solution previously describe is applied an worked to produce the finish.

This solution and its application to the imitation marble forms the substance of a copending application filed by Herbert lb. Parker, in, January 28, 1924, Serial Number 689,188 and does not in itself constitute the invention claimed herein We claim: 1. The method of producing imitation marble which includes applying a mixture of cement and metallic colors to a suitable base in a desired design, allowing the same to set partially, applying a coat of ground colored cement suficient to completely.

cover the design and allowing the same to set partially, and then troweling the surface until the design is worked through to the extent desired.

2. The method of producing imitation marble which includes ap lying a mixture of cement and metallic co ors to a suitable base in a desired design, allowing the same to set partially, applying a coat of ground colored cement sufiicient to completely cover the design and allowing the same to set partially, and then troweling the surface until the design is worked through to the extent desired, allowing the cement to dry substantially and applying a hardening-and polishing composition and polishing the surface produced.

3. The method of producing imitation marble which includes applying a mixture of cement and metallic colors to a suitable base in a desired design, allowing the same to set partially, applying a coat of ground colored cement sucient to completely cover the design and allowin the same to set parill?) tially, and then troweling the surface until the design is worked through to the extent desired, allowing the cement to dry substantially and applylng a solution of oxalic acid, and glycerin containing fine silica crystals in suspension and polishing the surface produced.

4:. The method of producing imitation marble which includes applying a layer of cement to a sup orting surface, allowing the cement to bar en, ap lying a mixture of cement and metallic col ors in any desired design, and allowing it to come to a partial set, applying a coat of basic colored cement, which fills the s aces between the design cement and comp etely covers the same and allowing this basic colored cement to partially set and then troweling the surface until the design is worked through to the extent desired.

5. The method of producin a desi n in cements which is characterized b app ying cements of diflerent colors to a foundation, allowing them to set artially, then troweliang ghem until the esired design is prouce 6. The method of producing an imitation marble which compr1ses the mixture of cemerit and metallic colors to form difierently colored cements, intermingling said colored cements without blending the colors, ing the intermingled colors to a base, the interstices and covering the respective colored cements with a cement and trowelnaeaeio ing the surface until the colored cements are worked through.

7. An imitation marble comprising a cement body and a polished surface having a crystal formation just beneath the polish,

8. An imitation marble comprising a body of cement and a polished coating of oxalic acid crystals and fine silica crystals;

9. An imitation marble comprising a body of cement, the surface pores of which are filled with fine crystals of high refractilv1e&power and susceptible of being pol- 15 e 10. An imitation marble comprising a body of cement, the surface pores of which 15 contain fine oxalic acid crystals and which body surface is polished.

11. An imitation marble comprising a body of cement, the surface pores of which contain fine silica and oxalic acid crystals 20 and which surface is polished.

In testimony whereof we hereunto ailix our signatures this 28th day of May, 1923.

HERBERT L. PARKER, JR. WM. W. rvrn. 

